Conscious Breathing

In our daily life, we breathe, but we forget that we're breathing.  The foundation of all mindfulness practice is to bring our attention to our in-breath and out-breath.  This is called mindfulness of breathing, or conscious breathing.  It's very simple, but the effect can be very great.  In our daily life, although our body is in one place, our mind is often in another.  Paying attention to our in-breath and out-breath brings our mind back to our body.  And suddenly we are there, fully present in the here and now.

We may like to recite:                                                                                        

 “Breathing in I know that I am breathing in.

Breathing out I know that I am breathing out.”  

Our breath may be long or short, deep or shallow.  As we breathe in and out, we feel the breath as it actually is.  We don't need to control our breath.  In the light of our awareness it will naturally become slower and deeper.  Conscious breathing is the key to uniting body and mind and bringing the energy of mindfulness into each moment of our life.

Regardless of our internal weather--our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions--our breathing is always with us like a faithful friend.  Whenever we feel carried away, sunk in a deep emotion, scattered in worries and projects, or caught in thoughts about the past or the future, we return to our breathing to collect and anchor our mind.